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After stepping into the container house, Jack Reacher instinctively began observing his surroundings.

The fluorescent lights brightly illuminated the interior. At first glance, it didn't seem much different from most shipping containers—plain and straightforward.

There was a long table covered with various chemical glassware. A sink, refrigerator, a cooking counter with a portable gas stove, and a camp bed in the corner all seemed relatively normal.

But the shelves stocked with all kinds of supplies felt distinctly unusual.

Reacher said in surprise, "Is this some drug dealer's hidden base?"

The moment he said it, he sharply noticed something else.

The space inside the container felt wrong.

Compared with a normal shipping container, it seemed narrower.

Like the area where the tiger had entered through another passage earlier. Looking from inside, there was no visible mechanism there—just a sheet-metal cabinet pressed beneath the shelves and connected to the wall.

Controlling Little Duck, Henry replied, "A few stranded people wandering the wilderness have broken in here before. This kind of disguise makes them behave more rationally and only take survival supplies.

"And I don't keep any refined product here that could be used as evidence. The raw materials on the shelves all have other purposes—they can't be turned into that kind of garbage."

Hearing the explanation, Reacher nodded.

"So there's another hidden level of space."

"That's correct. But if all you need is rest, this level is enough. The camp bed is clean. There are fresh blankets in the box at the foot of it, if you need them."

Henry paused, then added out of old family habit:

"Also… do you need food?"

"I do need something to eat. I was planning to find a place after settling in somewhere tonight. But that got interrupted by those vampires."

"There are preserved rations on the shelves. If you want something hot, there's steak in the refrigerator. Need me to cook one for you? Won't take long. Coffee? Or water?"

"You can cook steak here?" Reacher asked in disbelief.

"Why not?"

Even through Little Duck's electronic voice, the teasing tone was obvious.

At the same time, a concealed hatch beneath the stove opened.

BB-2—the core robot responsible for the Goat Valley laboratory—rolled out.

Following Henry's command, the efficient machine quickly used its external mechanical arms to remove a steak from the refrigerator and pick up a frying pan from the counter.

Under Reacher's astonished stare, the small robot moved like a restaurant chef, cooking a proper steak before placing it on the long table beside the chair.

One mechanical arm extended from its spherical body, thoughtfully presenting a knife and fork.

BB-2 then ducked back through the hatch and re-emerged moments later.

This time it had swapped the cooking arm for another attachment and delivered a mug of coffee to Reacher.

Reacher accepted the coffee, then sat down beside the steak.

BB-2 casually collected the trash Reacher had brought in—the empty plastic water bottle from earlier—and rolled back beneath the stove through the hatch.

As if it had never appeared at all.

Reacher stared blankly for several seconds before finally letting out a long breath.

"I really can't believe everything I've seen tonight. This feels like something out of a science fiction movie."

Little Duck floated over to the opposite side of the table but didn't answer any questions about the technology.

Instead, it simply said:

"Please rest after you finish eating. Tomorrow you'll have to experience the same trip back. Let's hope the police aren't still looking for you."

At that, Reacher couldn't help complaining.

"You seriously don't have another safe house in the city? Or some transportation here so I can get back on my own tomorrow?"

Little Duck answered in its electronic tone:

"There is no other transportation here. And I'm not going to give you any chance to identify the surrounding terrain."

"Is that really necessary?"

Reacher frowned, then asked:

"I'd also like to know—am I talking to a person, or some kind of artificial intelligence? Don't tell me the tiger outside is actually the mastermind behind all this."

"Current artificial intelligence technology is not that advanced. I am remotely controlling the support drone and speaking with you. Earlier operations were also under my control."

Reacher thought for a moment, then answered honestly.

"In that case, I should remind you of something.

"I don't think it would be hard to find someone in California raising a tiger.

"Sure, the armor making it look like a panther was clever misdirection. But I doubt it would fool many people for long.

"So if you plan to silence me, then considering I just pointed all this out, please give me a warning first."

That exposed blind spot left Henry speechless aboard the distant plane.

In the end, he could only complain through Little Duck:

"As expected, people shouldn't get lazy—especially when making backup plans.

"Your situation caught me off guard today. The rescue plan I improvised on the spot was full of holes after all.

"You're not going to tell anyone about this place, are you?"

Reacher took a sip of coffee.

"What would be the point? I don't know the exact location.

"And based on your past history, I'd guess there's some kind of self-destruct system hidden here too.

"If I bring anyone here without your permission, they'd probably go up in flames along with the whole base.

"In that case, saying nothing causes fewer casualties.

"As long as you don't naively tell me where the bombs are, or how to disable the trigger, I have no reason to reveal anything."

Little Duck emitted an electronic laugh.

"Oh? So my fearsome reputation still has some practical value. Should I be pleased?"

"Can I know where you are right now?" Reacher asked.

"On a plane from Sydney back to Los Angeles," Henry answered frankly.

Only a beat later did he realize Reacher's intention.

The man had been estimating the range of his remote-control capability.

As for what conclusions Reacher was drawing from that, Henry had no mind-reading powers.

Still, Henry wasn't worried anyone would try reopening the Sony Building bombing case from over three years ago.

That incident had long since been officially settled, and public opinion agreed with the verdict. No one sympathized with how much the thief Sony had lost in the explosion.

Reacher felt the same way.

He also wasn't the type to see useful technology and immediately hand it to the military in exchange for promotion, medals, and a future as a general.

As long as Henry Brown was not the kind of vicious criminal Reacher believed deserved punishment, Reacher had no intention of exposing this secret base.

The only reason he asked such questions was simple habit.

After all—

Henry had only forbidden him from investigating the location.

He hadn't forbidden everything else.

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